Merl La Voy in the Solomon Islands

La Voy travelled extensively in the Pacific and published fifty-five photographs in the Sydney Mail, in a four-part series titled "With a camera in the Solomon Islands". In this series, La Voy made an interesting study of the people and their culture preferring portraits and villages scenes.

Group of Men in Costume and with Ornaments and Paddles in War Canoe Inlaid with Mother of Pearl, 1921 Country: Solomon Islands/Culture: New Georgia

Malaitan girl, 1921 Country: Solomon Islands/Culture: Malaita

Merl La Voy (1885-1953)

The photo was taken by Merl La Voy (1885-1953), who was an American pioneer documentary filmmaker, photographer and world traveller, and was nicknamed “The Modern Marco Polo.” Director of documentary 'Heroic France' (1917) and cinematographer of 'Serbia Victorious' (1917) he was a member of several expeditions, such as the Parker-Browne Mount McKinley expedition. Some collections of his photographs have been cataloged separately and can be searched on through online catalogues i.e. Davidson Library, University of California.

The image appeared in a pictorial series published as part of fifty-five photographs in the 'Sydney Mail', in a four-part series titled "With a camera in the Solomon Islands" 1921.

From article in 'Sydney Mail': "This photo shows the home of one of the most popular planters in the Solomon's , Mr James Risby. He and Mrs Riby were noted for their warm hospitality to visitors. The planters in these islands specialize in cocoanuts (old spelling). Over 1 million sterling has been invested in the plantations, and when they are in full production the export of copra, apart from what is known as native copra, is expected to reach 16,000 tons per year. There are no other agricultural industries except a few acres of rubber".

Jens Hansen Lundager (1853-1930)

Jens Hansen Lundager (born Jens Larsen Hansen), was born 4 May 1853 in Denmark. His parents were Hans Jensen and Else Anders Datte and he grew up in the city of Bogense. He last lived in the city of Fredericia where he had a photographic business under the name Jens Larsen Hansen (Lundager was the village his mother Elser Andersdatter Jensen family came from, he took that name after he arrived in Australia). He came to Australia to combat symptoms of TB, and arrived on board the Charles Dickens, from Hamburg to Rockhampton on 26 February 1879. He took over the studio of of French photographer Louis Buderus.

He married fellow Dane Mathilde Helene Biltoft in Rockhampton on 12 April 1882 and together they raised a large family. He was naturalised in Rockhampton in 1883, and around 1884 he began travelling regularly from Rockhampton to Mt. Morgan to make portrait studies of the miners and their families. When his Rockhampton studio was burnt out around 1892, Lundager settled permanently with his family in Mt. Morgan.

From 1892 until 1920 he was an important member of that community. He became a bookseller, journalist, Mayor, Trustee of the Technical College, Treasurer of the School of Arts and proprietor of the Argus newspaper. He also became a Freemason in 1884. He died 7 March 1930 in his home in Chatswood, Sydney NSW, and was buried at the Methodist Cemetery North Sydney.

This is a rare cdv of an aboriginal mother and child photographed in central Queensland in the 1890s. It is possible there were other photographs depicting Aboriginal people but they have been lost when Lundager's Rockhampton studio was destroyed by fire.

Garnet Agnew (1886-1951)

Garnet Agnew (1886 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – Brisbane, Australia 1951) was an illustrator for 'The Brisbane Courier' and its weekly magazine, 'The Queenslander Illustrated Weekly', creating cover illustrations for these publications between 1926 and 1930. In 1924 he was a foundation member of the Society of Australian Black and White Artists. His other mediums included oils, watercolour and lino-cuts. Agnew painted murals on the walls of the West Coast Hotel in Cooktown.

He lived part of his childhood at Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island before moving to Sydney in the early 1920s. In 1926 he returned to Brisbane as the staff artist for ‘The Courier Mail’. He created a number of linocuts, including this one of Tommy Nuggin.

Tommy Nuggin lived at Amity as was one of the last surviving people to be transferred to Stradbroke Island from Moreton Island. He had a son called Gurriwurribah and Garnet Agnew also painted him and there is an illustration in ‘The Queensland Annual’ October 1, 1930 p. 55 with a short article about both Tommy and his son.

Tommy Nuggin was for a time a member of the Queensland Native Police and was stationed in Brisbane. He later retired to the Myora Mission and was well known to everyone who lived on North Stradbroke Island.

Garnet Agnew, ‘Old Tommy’ c 1924, lino-cut printed in one colour, 21.8 x 16.1cm, signed ‘Garnet Agnew’; Monogram ‘A’ incised in block